Saturday, January 07, 2012

Baby dreams


So many times I've been gazing my baby while she was sleeping. I've always wanted to know whether she was dreaming something, seeing something in her sleep. There are some interesting facts about sleep I didn't know. Dreaming happens during REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) – the term used to indicate that we are actively engaged in the act of dreaming, rather than just in deep, physically restorative sleep. REM sleep is thought to be the most important factor for mental revitalization while sleeping. In fact, Scientists have proven that when people miss out on actual REM cycles of sleep there are all kinds of symptoms, including difficulty with learning and memory. Non-REM sleep is important for allowing the body a chance to physically restore itself, whereas REM sleep actually helps in mental restoration. And a newborn baby spends between 50 to 80% of total sleep time in the REM stage of sleep!
Some scientists say that since infants don't have language, their dreams probably consist of imagery without any dialogue. They are also unlikely to have nightmares, since they don't develop real fears until 2-3 years.
And still I wish I knew what she was dreaming, when she wakes up all radiant and happy))

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